After Dallas legend Dirk Nowitzki retired, the Dallas Mavericks struggled to reach elite status. The team was seen as a mediocre team that struggled to make deep playoff runs. For example, during Luka Doncic’s second and third year, the Mavs made the playoffs twice but fell in the first round to the LA Clippers.
Fast forward to now, and a lot has changed. The team has advanced to the Western Conference Finals twice over the past three seasons and made the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011. Dallas also had one of the most successful offseasons this summer, as they created a stocked roster with the additions of Klay Thompson, Spencer Dinwiddie, Naji Marshall, and Quentin Grimes.
However, even with the Mavs’ success, many experts doubt the team’s abilities. Earlier this week, CBS released an NBA coach ranking. They ranked each coach based on tiers with Jason Kidd at number 18. This is disrespectful, considering what he has done for the Mavs’ organization over the past three years.
The disrespect for Dallas didn’t stop there. On Tuesday, NBA Champion Kendrick Perkins gave his take on which NBA team is most likely to collapse this coming season.
During a segment on NBA Today he listed the Mavs as one of the teams most likely to fall apart. Some of his reasonings include the age and regression of Thompson, along with Doncic being gassed in the NBA Finals.
The one big thing Perkins mentioned was that “no one is really fearing them right now,” when referring to the Mavericks. He went on to list how teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Lakers can be better this season.
Perkins lost sight of the dynamic improvement Dallas made. Yes, you can argue Thompson isn’t the same “Splash Brother” from a couple of years ago. He may have also lost a step or two, yet despite all that he continued to put up valuable numbers. Thompson converted 38.7 percent of his attempted 3-pointers last season and averaged 17.9 points per game. The sharpshooter also played well towards the end of the season, when he converted 43.7 percent of his long-range attempts during April.
Doncic, on the other hand, performed well in the Finals. He averaged 29.2 points per game while shooting 47.2 percent from the field. He put up a double-double in Game 5 with 28 points and 12 rebounds. Also, if you recall he was putting up quality numbers while dealing with multiple injuries such as a knee sprain and sore Achilles.
Also, both the Timberwolves and Lakers made minimal improvements. Minnesota got better within the organization but kept most of its team intact. The Lakers though missed out on two free agents the Mavs signed. All signs point to Dallas having a better season than both teams.
So in simple terms, Perkins’s response is just another awful take. Yesterday, ESPN insiders all predicted the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the Western Conference. This simply adds to the scrutiny the Mavs have been enduring lately.
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